BRIEFS

TELECOM POLICY PAPER RELEASED

The sub-group in the group on telecom released its discussion paper on the telecom policy last week. For the first time, various constituents in the telecom chain have been categorised: cellular mobile service providers (CMSPs), cable service providers (CSPs), fixed service providers (FSPs), radio paging service providers (PRSPs), Global mobile personal communication services (GMPCS) and V-Sat providers (VSPs). The group has recommended that all service providers should be issued licences for 20 years initially, followed by an extension of 10 years. The various service providers, the paper states, can provide inter-connectivity to each other. The discussion paper is expected to evolve into a policy which will help the government repeal the The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, open up long distance local telephony, split DoT into policy and operating arms, allow for the entry of a third player in each cellular service area, and strengthen the powers of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The final policy will be drawn up keeping in mind the convergence between telecom, broadcasting and the Internet. The group on telecom has also come out favourably on freeing the frequency spectrum for Ku-band services.

SAHARA TV LAUNCH DELAYED

General entertainment channel Home TV, which was to be re-launched as Sahara TV before the end of this month, is likely to finally see the light in its new avatar sometime in March, say officials at the Sahara group. The channel's management says it has not managed to get its programming in order as yet. Sahara TV officials say the channel is to be uplinked live from India and a sizable component of its programming will be current affairs and news though it essentially will be a general entertainment Hindi channel. The Sahara TV launch has been postponed several times in the past.

GUJARAT STATE WANTS SHARE OF CABLE TV REVENUE

The Gujarat State government has warned that it will raid cable operators, as they have not been paying as much entertainment tax as they should. The state's entertainment tax department says that cable operators have been under-declaring their subscriber bases to escape paying the government levy. It says it is going to carry out citywide raids in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar within a month. Gujarat has the highest penetration of cable TV in India.

ZEE TV SUES FINANCIAL DAILY

Asia Today Ltd (ATL), the uplinking company for Zee TV, has filed a defamation suit against Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, publisher of leading Indian financial daily The Economic Times, seeking damages of Rs 5,000 million. The newspaper had carried a report, which stated that Sony Entertainment had beaten Zee TV in the viewership ratings game. "We found the report terribly one-sided," says Zee TV spokesperson Ranjan Bakshi. "We sent them a legal notice seeking an explanation but were not satisfied with the response." The Calcutta high court has, meanwhile restrained Bennett Coleman & Co from carrying any defamatory reports against Zee TV in any of its papers.

TURNER INTERNATIONAL SHUFFLES ASIA-PACIFIC AD SALES TEAM

There are changes in the ad sales department at Turner International Asia. Senior vice-president ad sales and media veteran Carl Meyer has put in his papers at the company. Vice-president Dave Dickman has taken on the management of Turner's Asia Pacific ad sales group following Meyer's departure. Additionally, Peter Brack, vice president, advertising sales for Turner Broadcasting Sales Southeast Asia Inc. is slated to take on expanded responsibilities for CNN Interactive sales, overseeing a newly created, regional structure to support Turner's growing, international on-line business. Jennifer Fletcher, in her new role as regional sales director, is expected to concentrate her efforts on growing TNT & Cartoon Network sales. In the past two years, Turner International has opened advertising sales offices in Singapore and Taiwan and this year it is to expand its operations in India and focus on growing its business in China.

MURDOCH: STAR INTERVIEWS

Two interviews with media baron Rupert Murdoch are slated to appear on Star Plus' India beam in the next couple of months. The first interview by Simi Grewal, who hosts the show Rendez-vous with Simi Grewal, is focused on his personal life, while the second by talk show host Vir Sanghvi revolves around his business dealings, on a new show called Star Talk. The two interviews should go a long way in cleaning up his image in India. Murdoch is a wanted man in India and even has an arrest warrant issued against him.

MTV INDIA ANNOUNCES WINNERS

MTV India has selected Calcutta graduate Pratyusha Thakur and Delhi architect Anupam Amod as the winners of its Coca-Cola & MTV Video Ga-Ga contest. The two sang an old Hindi song, which was picked amongst hundreds sent in by aspiring singers all over India. The MTV India creative team has filmed a music video on the winning re-mixed song.